As part of our trip up north we spent a day in Manhattan to visit friends and meet someone (Ethan) for the first time.
The parents of Ethan are the very same people who got married last February. He is just a smidgen over a week old and we got to see him and his parents before we drove back home. There he is snug in his father's arms. I think his father is very happy with his new title of daddy.
Of course no trip to NYC is complete without pictures.
Since all six of us were heading into the city we decided to drive. I haven't driven much in NYC, so it was fun for me to play navigator and snap pictures while Larry manned the wheel. I got some classic shots when I remembered to take them.
We crossed over Manhattan to the west side and then cut across at 57th and then dropped down Broadway. It was fun pointing out landmarks to the kids as we drove down Broadway. The Flatiron building is one of my favorites and I was pretty happy with the picture I got. Traffic was moving fairly well until we headed into times square. At which point we then realized that the next day was New Year's eve.
All sorts of things were being erected in Times Square, from stages to sound systems and a car up on a pedestal. We tried to figure out where the ball was going to dropped, but it was too quick. I have never done the Times Square thing at New Years, standing outside endlessly in the cold surrounded by strangers is very unappealing to me. I'd rather be at a party (or parties!). Anyway the crowds were not too bad, but we did get redirected to 7th ave. Which we didn't realize until a few blocks later. But it was not a big deal and we got to show the kids Madison Square Garden, a far more meaningful landmark to boys.
In addition to all the landmarks NYC is filled with surprising details. At one point we were driving by one of the ubiquitous fast foods joints when something caught my eye. There was a line of seahorses done in what appeared to be ironwork above the restaurants awning. I don't know why they were there, but I was able to grab a quick photo as we passed by. I found them to be utterly charming and I was glad I saw them.
Then there is the downright odd.
It was a true "only in NYC moment" when this decidedly bizarre vehicle was in front of us. At first I only saw the two "Santas" hanging off the sides and the pile of junk on top. I didn't deem it picture worthy until I got a good look at the trunk. The dead Santa inside with a bony claw snaking out to clutch a club's name on a battered piece of wood was worth breaking out the camera. We followed the car for a few blocks and every time traffic slowed pedestrians would take pictures. It is a very effective for of advertising.
It's a good thing we don't do the Santa thing or I think this would have traumatized the kids. There was the potential to freak out Max (skeletons are very bad in his books), but his siblings had enough sense not to point out that aspect of the display in front of us.
Soon we reached our destination. I think the hardest part of the trip was finding a parking space for the van. The rocket box was on top and quite honestly when it is on the van it is too tall to fit in most parking garages. After dropping me off with the kids Larry was able to find a legitimate (and free!) spot not too far away.
It was great seeing our friends again. The new daddy is Larry's oldest friend and is called Uncle Johnny by our kids.We hit it just right and got to see the rest of Jon's family. Ethan's Bris was that morning and Jon's parents (who were almost Larry's second parents when he was growing up) along with Jon's brother (another good friend) and his family were still there.
Those of us over the age of eight got to hold the baby. Rebecca was kind of interested, but didn't sit still long enough. That's Larry's hand helping Nate support Ethan's body. It was a good visit and Ethan looks like a fine addition to the world.
Showing posts with label NYC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NYC. Show all posts
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Flying On A Jet Airplane
This weekend Larry and I got away for the weekend. A very good friend of his was getting married and the wedding was in Manhattan.
The whole family was invited, but we decided that it was just going to be the two of us, alone together in the big apple. I love my children, but weddings are much more fun without them and I really didn’t want to buy six plane tickets, two was enough. Larry’s mother and step dad were kind enough to stay with the kids while we went to the wedding (they also got to go to a special reception that I’ll tell you about tomorrow).
Sunday morning we left bright and early. We had a morning flight that would get us in early enough to settle in our hotel and get ready for the 5:00 pm nuptials.
Our hotel was quite fancy. At Larry’s suggestion we tried Hotwire and I totally scored. We ended up at the Millianium UN Plaza at half the normal rate! The room had a fabulous view of the East River, Douglas MacArthur Park, Roosevelt Island, a corner of the UN,
Trump World Tower (which dominated our view) and the Citigroup building.
The wedding was down by Union Square at the Manhattan Penthouse. It too had a glorious view of the city.
The guest list was small, less than a hundred, which in my opinion makes for a nicer party. We had a great time reconnecting with people we hadn’t seen in years. One of the funniest moments happened late in the night. At one point somebody noticed that snow had started to fall. Big fat flakes were eddying by the picture windows that lined the wall. A half dozen or so of the bride’s friends were from Southern California and apparently this was their first snowstorm. A gaggle of thirty year old women rushed to the windows and transformed in a shrieking mob of teen aged girls. It was very loud and downright comical.
The next morning Larry and I breakfasted at a classic New York coffee shop. We had both had big platters of scrambled eggs, sausages, home fries with a big stack of toast. In a few hours we were meeting up with the newly weds and a few others for brunch at a vegan restaurant and we needed to fortify ourselves. And all I’ll say about the vegan place was that it was exactly as I feared. I don’t like beans and every other time I’ve had a vegan meal I end up feeling even hungrier a half hour later. I can deal with lacto vegetarian food, some of it is quite good, but I don’t care for a vegan diet. I’m an omnivore and I very happy to be that way.
Then it was home again to spring the dogs and let the grandparents wing their way home.
The whole family was invited, but we decided that it was just going to be the two of us, alone together in the big apple. I love my children, but weddings are much more fun without them and I really didn’t want to buy six plane tickets, two was enough. Larry’s mother and step dad were kind enough to stay with the kids while we went to the wedding (they also got to go to a special reception that I’ll tell you about tomorrow).
Sunday morning we left bright and early. We had a morning flight that would get us in early enough to settle in our hotel and get ready for the 5:00 pm nuptials.
Our hotel was quite fancy. At Larry’s suggestion we tried Hotwire and I totally scored. We ended up at the Millianium UN Plaza at half the normal rate! The room had a fabulous view of the East River, Douglas MacArthur Park, Roosevelt Island, a corner of the UN,
Trump World Tower (which dominated our view) and the Citigroup building.
The wedding was down by Union Square at the Manhattan Penthouse. It too had a glorious view of the city.
The guest list was small, less than a hundred, which in my opinion makes for a nicer party. We had a great time reconnecting with people we hadn’t seen in years. One of the funniest moments happened late in the night. At one point somebody noticed that snow had started to fall. Big fat flakes were eddying by the picture windows that lined the wall. A half dozen or so of the bride’s friends were from Southern California and apparently this was their first snowstorm. A gaggle of thirty year old women rushed to the windows and transformed in a shrieking mob of teen aged girls. It was very loud and downright comical.
The next morning Larry and I breakfasted at a classic New York coffee shop. We had both had big platters of scrambled eggs, sausages, home fries with a big stack of toast. In a few hours we were meeting up with the newly weds and a few others for brunch at a vegan restaurant and we needed to fortify ourselves. And all I’ll say about the vegan place was that it was exactly as I feared. I don’t like beans and every other time I’ve had a vegan meal I end up feeling even hungrier a half hour later. I can deal with lacto vegetarian food, some of it is quite good, but I don’t care for a vegan diet. I’m an omnivore and I very happy to be that way.
Then it was home again to spring the dogs and let the grandparents wing their way home.
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